Father's Day Gift Ideas to Make Your Dad Feel Special

It is quite common that people eulogize sacrifices made by mother and role she plays in shaping our life. But quite often we underrate countless sacrifices made by our dear father and despite that, not for once he makes his kids feel that whatever he has done is done for them. Your father has got a very soft heart under that tough skin. This Father's Day, say thanks to your dear dad, give him a warm hug and a beautiful gift.

So here are some cool Father's Day gift ideas for you...

Vacation

An unforgettable experience is one of the best Father's Day gifts you could give to your dear ones. And what could be a better experience than a small vacation spent on an exotic destination? This Father's Day, surprise your dad by sending him to an exotic location to spend some memorable moments, of course with your dear mom. If you are not able to pick the right destination from the bewildering list of locations on the earth, take help of your mom and ask her about your father's choice. Or if you want to send your dad to your choice of destination, you need to consider his health and age as he might have some climate allergies or nausea.

Membership of a Club

This could be another joyful experience for your father. Whether the club locates within the ambit of your city or on the outskirts, time spent with like-minded folks would keep him energetic and excited. If health doesn't permit your father to commute, club situated in city would be preferable. A club membership can vouch for lot of benefits & facilities like networking, health club, swimming pool, yoga & mediation and more.

Your Fingerprints On Play-Doh

During your childhood years, you might have created weird shapes with Play-Doh only to receive happy smile and a pat on your back from your dad. Now with the same Play-Doh you can delight your father to the core. Get a Play-Doh and put your fingerprints on it, and get the same framed. Hurray!!! He would cherish this masterpiece forever as the gift is now priceless.

Personalized Photo Books

A picture speaks thousand words and countless emotions. This Father's Day, create a collage of your photos taken with your dad and get the collage framed to gift your father. A word of advice: don't forget to include your childhood memories with your family. This would surely make his day as he would love to walk down memory lane; this will also give him a chance to relive his own childhood.

Audio/Video DVDs

Perhaps the easiest way to wish your dad Happy Father's Day is to give him a collection of audio and video DVDs of movies and songs of his choice. Either download movies/songs or purchase DVDs online - this could be one of the cheapest but nicest gift to your father. Let him dance and sing with his favourite movie stars and melodious songs.

Electronics

If you are running short of options, electronics can provide you gift options galore. Check out any online portal and you have countless electronic items on your finger tip. Tablets, Smartphones, Laptops, iPods, iPads, Cameras, Gaming Consoles, Home Theaters, DVD Players...The list is endless. Take a tour of online shopping portals in India and use the best deal to shop perfect gift for your dad.

To sum up, I would say no matter how tall you have grown, you always look up to your father. He is your friend, philosopher and guide; he is the force behind your energy; he is the reason behind your smile and well-being. Happy Father's Day!

http://www.infibeam.com/fathers-day-gifts

Sony Music Entertainment Buys Strategic Stake in Infibeam Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (INDENT)

Infibeam Incorporation Pvt Ltd (Infibeam) and global music giant Sony Music Entertainment have announced a definitive agreement, where in Sony Music has bought strategic stake in Infibeam Digital Entertainment (P) Ltd (INDENT). Under this agreement, Infibeam will hold majority stake in the Company and Sony Music will hold a 26% stake post completion of transaction. Indent with its clear strategic focus will offer an attractive platform to large and medium music labels in India and International. Any music label or brand holding rights to content can use the Indent platform to engage customers and monetize by distributing digital as well as physical content under their own brand with payment integrations.

Commenting on the same, Shridhar Subramaniam President India and Middle East, Sony Music Entertainment said, "Indent fills a need gap for all Music rights owners. As the digital eco system keeps evolving, there has been a strong need for an independent technology company that music companies can partner with to build innovative services and offerings. Every content owner has aspirations to reach consumers and brands directly, Indent empowers these labels with a scalable and commerce ready platform."

On this occasion Vishal Mehta, Founder & CEO Infibeam shared that 'INDENT' continues to build state-of-the-art inclusive digital platforms powering music applications installed on millions of mobile phones and providing high quality experience to music lovers. Indent will enable brands, technology and music on common interface with innovative customer engagement models".

+Sony Music India is one of the largest and most integrated music companies in India owning digital music content rights with highly sophisticated marketing and distribution channels. Last year, Sony Music partnered with the new range of Sony Xperia Smartphones to launch 'Sony Music Jive' - a first of its kind music service that allows consumers to download and stream music from the Sony Music Catalog of 2 million songs. Jive is powered by INDENT's Music platform. Post the successful launch of the Jive application on the Xperia smartphones in India, the same application was launched in Indonesia, North Africa and Middle East markets. The service was also extended to Sony VAIO laptops in 2013.

With large repository of music content, INDENT will continue developing applications for many large labels and brands with integrated Telco billing, OEM bundling and Social platforms. Currently, INDENT offers its service to SONY Music, INRECO (The Indian Record Manufacturing Company Ltd), to name a few. Indent is projecting revenues of $3-5mm in current year.

About Infibeam: 

+Infibeam Inc is leading ecommerce technology company, recognized for its innovative approach towards delivering business values and responsive to changing customer needs. Infibeam today is trusted name in ecommerce technology platform services and a partner of choice for global business. Infibeam's retail platform offers more than one crore retail products and 50 lakh visits per month by Indians online. The company endeavors to maintain lowest prices for consumer and trusted merchant selling quality products on Infibeam (www.infibeam.com) in categories like Books, Movies, Music, Mobiles, Electronic, Gadgets & Computers, apparel, Jewellery, footwear, home furnishing & decor, toys & baby care, Auto accessories, wellness & health care and many more. As a part of business offerings Infibeam also provides B2B enterprise platform www.buildabazaar.com, enabling SMEs and retail brands to host their online store.

About Sony Music:
Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre and artists like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Santana, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Avril Lavigne, Shakira, Kings of Leon, Hurts, Foo Fighters, Pink, The Script to name a few.

A wholly owned subsidiary of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT INDIA, boasts of an extensive catalogue that comprises of some of the most legendary recordings in history and is home to renowned and celebrated artists and several iconic Bollywood Film soundtracks.

For publishing, Sony Music India has a tie up with Sony/ATV wherein Sony/ATV exploits and manages Sony Music India's publishing works overseas, likewise, Sony Music India manages Sony/ATV's International works across four countries - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

In 2013, Sony Music Entertainment India and Warner Music Group announced a strategic licence deal for Sony Music to represent Warner Music's legendary recording artists' releases and labels in India, Sri Lanka and the other SAARC countries.

Shaili Chopra on Effects of Social Media on Politics

Shaili Chopra

A keen watcher of social media, a golf aficionado and now a writer of a popular book The Big Connect - Shaili Chopra dons many hats during her career in journalism. Winner of The Ramnath Goenka Award, Shaili believes that as journalist, one just can't have a laid-back attitude; rather, a journalist has to be a reporter chasing big stories. She regularly contributes articles on golf and thinks that "the sport deserves tremendous attention as it loses out to cricket". In a conversation with Infibeam, Shaili opens up about her book The Big Connect, her ideas over use of social media in politics and her newly found love for poetry. Read on...

Que: You have been into journalism for a long time. What made you to write a book?

Shaili Chopra: I am a keen watcher of social media. I walked into a store to fetch a book on the subject but i couldn't find one. I was surprised that something that topical, that interesting and so with-the-times was missing a full documented discourse. This led me to think about a book.

Que: You write a special blog on Golf, any specific reason?

Shaili Chopra: I have a few passions and golf is one of them. I believe the sport deserve tremendous attention as it loses out to cricket. It's brilliant sport and can be developed in our country in a big way. I grew up playing it. It's an intelligent sport, needs strategy, mind application and more.

Que: You have received one of the biggest awards The Ramnath Goenka Award- How did you feel receiving it?

Shaili Chopra with her book "The Big Connect"

Shaili Chopra: It was the most special honour for me. I believe as a journalist you cant just be news reader, you have to be a reporter, chase big stories, report on them, do interviews and ask in-depth questions. I was very grateful for the award as it recognised the reporter in me. 

Que: Your list of awards is not ending. FICCI has also awarded you with Young Women's Achiever Award for contribution to media. What was the feeling at that time?

Shaili Chopra: FICCI is A very reputed body and recognises rare talent. I was happy to receive this award with the likes of Vidya Balan, Mary Kom - it meant A lot.

Que: The Big Connect is related to the effect of Social Media on Politics. Do you really Feel that SM will effect Politics in future too?

Shaili Chopra: Yes I believe so. That so-me is now a part of our lives is something reflected in the amount of time Indians are spending online. I think it speaks volumes that we are partially governed today not by our time but our timelines. Our views are a confluence of people we speak to, our friends, our social media space.

Que: Do you plan to write more books? And what will be your subject this time?

Shaili Chopra: I have a couple of them in the pipeline. I will be able to share more details with time.

Que: You have interviewed many Big Shots across the world. Is there any specific person you want to interview and have not got a chance to?

Shaili Chopra: Yes, Tiger Woods. I think he is not only the biggest sportsperson in the world but he also has a discerning business sense. Business + Sport would be a great subject for me to connect with him on.

Que: You like writing poetry too, what kind of poetry you like to write?

Shaili Chopra: I write rhyming poems for children, other kinds for myself. It's not for public consumption but a person passion.

Infibeam Is Conferred With 'The Game Changing Idea Of The Year' Award By The Economic Times At Et Retail Award-2014

Infibeam is awarded as The Game Changing Idea of The Year at the fourth edition of the ET Retail Awards 2014. ET Retail Award is an annual initiative under the umbrella of The Economic Times & the Retailers Association of India, and is an initiative of the Times Grey Cell. The Game Changing Idea of the Year was conferred to BuildaBazaar, Infibeam's state-of-art eCommerce technology platform which enables small, medium and large retail brands to host their online store. 

Infibeam is Ahmedabad based one of the leading e-commerce technology company in India and offers B2C retail platform www.infibeam.com to millions of online consumer and technology platform for small, medium and large retailers to host their online store. 

Mr +Sachin Oswal, COO & Co-Founder and +Kartik Jain, VP - Corporate Development (centre) Infibeam received the award for Game Changing Idea of the Year from Chandru L Raheja and R Sundar .

Mr +Sachin Oswal said, "The Game Changing Idea of The Year Award is great recognition by The Economic Times as we strongly felt that BuildaBazaar.com since its launch in 2011 has grown at tremendous rate because of its scalable and robust attributes and has been widely accepted by the  retail brands not in India but also internationally."

Everything Becomes A Myth One Day, Says Anand Neelakantan

While many technology and management professionals venture into fiction writing in India, fame rests upon only a few writers, who can make it big in terms of success and reputation. Anand Neelkantan is a writer, who boasts name and fame in the world of fiction writing. His debut novel Asura: Tale of the Vanquished was a breakout hit and hit the list of bestsellers of 2012. In AJAYA: Epic of the Kaurava Clan - Roll Of The Dice, Neelkantan recreated the magic and this too went on to become a successful story. Indian mythology is a pool of inspiration for Neelkantan, who weaves engaging plots to revisit historical events with a complete new perspective. In this exclusive chat with Infibeam, Anand Neelkantan talks about his love for writing, his passion for Indian mythology and why epics like Ramayan and Mahabharat are great source of inspiration for people today.

Que: Many IITians and IIM graduates become writers today. Do you think that you are following the trend? OR writing has been your passion?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: I am not a graduate from IIT or IIM, I have done my engineering from Government Engineering College, Trichur, Calicut University, Kerala. I believe writing has nothing to do with qualification and writers come from all walks of life. Writing has always been my passion and I did Engineering to get a job and make a living.

Que: Indian Mythology is the flair of the season. After Mehula series, your stories are sold well in book stores.

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: Indian mythology is an ocean of stories and it has always been an inspiration for writers in most Indian languages. A good book will sell irrespective of its genre.

Que: With myth, everything becomes possible. Your comment on Claude Levi Strauss' observation.

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: Everything becomes a myth one day. It is just the play of time.

Que: Bhasa, one of the celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit used to brand villains as heroes in his dramas. How Ajaya is different from plays written by Bhasa?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: Bhasa's Oorubhanga is a one act play, depicting the last scene of Duryodhana's life. Bhasa is always an inspiration for all mythologists. After two thousand years, his take on mythology appears more modern than most of the present day writers. Ajaya is different in the sense that it is Mahabharata seen from the angle of not only Duryodhana, but also other characters like Karna, Ekalavya, Aswathamma and a common man Jara.

Que: What makes you think (or believe) that ancient scriptures like Ramayana and Mahabharata are relevant even after thousands of years?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: Look around and one need not think or believe. It is a fact. Ramayana and Mahabharata are a part of day to day life. Without these epics, all Indian languages will lose its colour.

Que: Do you think that fiction based on mythology strikes a chord with Indian youth?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: A good story will always strike a chord with youth of any time in any country.

Que: What is the biggest challenge before you while writing Asura & Ajaya? Were you apprehensive of themes you have chosen?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: Counter telling or Prati Vada is a part of Indian culture. Hindu mind has the capability to hold opposing concepts and be in home with both. The questions I ask in Asura or Ajaya are the questions that most of the people would have asked in their youth or most of the youth are asking now. I have just put them in a logical pattern. The questioning of our scriptures is a part of our tradition. There is nothing called blasphemy in Hinduism.

Que: What motivated you to write this book?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: My love for mythology, my family back ground, the village I grew up where Puranas are still a living tradition and my fondness for the so called villains.

Que: What do you intend to express through the book?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: If a reader is not able to understand what I am trying to express through the book, it means I have failed as a writer. My book is my expression.

Que: You would like to be remembered as - an engineer or a writer?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: If I wanted to be remembered as an Engineer, would I be writing stories? Writer, obviously.

Que: Any message for Indian readers?

Mr. Anand Neelakantan: Please read my books with an open mind. I am not only aiming for entertainment, so if the book slows down in some chapters, it is because I want you to think with me. It is in the purest Indian tradition of Vada and Prati Vada.